The Gulf region's tough choicesSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday. AFPThe United States and Israel have launched a war that the Gulf states invested heavily in diplomacy to prevent. In recent months, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had landed on opposite sides of armed conflicts in Sudan and south Yemen. If diplomacy cannot deliver that outcome, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states may, individually or collectively, consider other options. The most likely near-term posture for the Gulf states is strategic patience -- ironically, an approach Iran itself has long favoured.

Source: Bangkok Post March 16, 2026 01:24 UTC